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Japan will celebrate its newest national holiday, "Yama no Hi" (Mountain Day), on Aug 11. What do you think about the name and timing of this holiday?

18 Comments

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Its a cool idea, always welcome this wonderful concept. Not many nations around the world worship and respect nature like Japan.

The name and timing is perfect, no stink of any religion in this holiday.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

I'm all for national holidays, if it gets FT workers a day off. Why was this date chosen though? Not arbitrarily, surely.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

June and August are (were) the only months in the year with no national holiday. Adding a day in August just before O-Bon (hopefully) encourages people to take a couple of days off work to make a proper (by Japanese standards) summer holiday.

....is the thinking, I imagine. Never mind that travel, hotels, tourist spots in August are already obscenely overpriced and overbooked.

We avoid travel at O-Bon because of the crowds, and take our hols either earlier or later in the season (both, this year! Yay!) I'l be working on the 11th, but it will be nice to have Mr cleo at home to do the cooking. And I think he will enjoy having a 'legitimate' day off, as opposed to the days off his wife makes him take to accommodate our travel plans.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The timing is a little awkward because Aug 12 is the anniversary of that horrific JAL crash into a Gunma mountain in 1985, which was Japan's worst air crash ever in terms of loss of life. August doesn't really need a national holiday anyway since many companies give employees Aug 15 off for O-bon (mine does). That could have been made an official holiday.

Now, June is the only month without a national holiday. What can they think of for a June holiday?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

What can they think of for a June holiday?

Emperor Abdication Day, I hope, from next year, if the poor Emperor can hold on till then.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Great idea, but more holidays are definitely needed!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'm all for national holidays, if it gets FT workers a day off.

Good of you to consider the Japan employees of the Financial Times, but that is a fairly selective demographic...

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

A holiday is always welcome. A holiday named "fermented goat cheese day" would be fine with me, too.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"Not many nations around the world worship and respect nature like Japan."

Perhaps people could spend Mountain Day cleaning up the rubbish strewn over Mount Fuji.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Why not? I like national holidays, I like mountains. Come to think of it that way, looks like the day was made for in my honour, just can't seem to remember putting in a request...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'm self employed and my wife works in local media which doesn't respect national holidays. So we don't get a free day off. It just means a day when the hoikuen is closed. In mid August, my older kids are off school anyway.

Personally, I think the large number of national holidays in Japan is a government cop-out. They want to be seen to be doing something about overwork, but this is not how you do it. You do that by enforcing labour laws that already have allowances for time off. Black employers just ignore national holidays, so the people who need time off the most won't get any from this. They'll just be at work as normal.

For relaxation, stress relief, and economic benefits, I don't think you do not want everyone off on the same day.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

What's the point of this holiday? Many people already go on holiday during this week, so it's lost on them. Just about as useful as a public holiday on Saturday.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Good. Call it Mountain Day or Sea Day pt. 2, whatever. . . . Japan's workforce, over-works themselves. (Even a name for it -Karoshi). Let the workers relax, have a few drinks on hot-sunny-humid August afternoon. Boost morale.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

As a GoT fan, I prefer The Mountain Day.....

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I'd rather choose my own holidays rather than have the state choose them for me.

Part of the govt reforms should be scaling back the national holiday system - which creates massive bottlenecks, limited choice, unaffordable prices and lower economic activity - and give people a choice when scheduling their holidays.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I think its a good idea. If promoted well, it might attract the foreign adventurers crowd - hikers, mountain climbers etc.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Making it a Friday would have been better, allowing families a longer weekend.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Making it a Friday would have been better, allowing families a longer weekend.

You will get your wish next year

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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